I listen to everything from classical to jazz to pop to podcasts. Do you think the high cost of Air Pods is worth it? I do often listen on a crowded CTA train so not exactly the best listening environment. I have an excellent set of over the ear headphones that I use for serious listening at home.
Wireless headphones are pretty great. I can’t comment on AirPods specifically, but the comfort and convenience of wireless in-ear headphones is pretty great.
I have recently gotten into this arena. I have android Pixel XL and a Pixel 2 XL phones. I didn’t buy the Air pods because the regular apple pods will not stay in my ears and sound bad. (The Pixel 2 XL and my current Ipad Pro don’t have headphone jacks) I went instead for the Jaybird 3. For the most part they are good, but the cost is too high $99 and I ended up losing them between home and work. This past weekend I went to the beach and while there I bought the Jlabs Jbuds wireless earbuds from the local Walmart for $49. They actually sounded pretty good - not great bass but they stayed in my ears and last about 3.5 to 4 hours. the only problem with them is they don’t play loud enough an I routinely had to turn the volume past 3/4 in order to hear them well in crowded environments.
While at the beach I ordered a cheap set of wireless earbuds on Amazon - soundpeats. They are listed for $29 but I found a code that reduced the price by $6. I cannot find the code now sadly but do a search to see if there is some new code.
When I got home I immediately tried them out and to my surprise - remember none if these are high end buds - they sounded better than the $49 Jlabs Jbuds I bought from Walmart. I expect that they were that way because the earpieces that came with them provided a better sound proofing fit for my ears.
I will add that both of these buds are controlled by “pushing/clicking” them to do things like pause/play, volume or moving to the next track. I cannot do this as that would mean I am essentially pushing these further into my ears which can get painful so I pull one out to do the controls or do it from my phone. You should give it a try.
Also all of these wireless buds - with the exception of the jaybirds - come with cases that charge the device. I would implore you to always carry the case around as not only do they charge that way but it is a great way to not lose them while not in use.
good luck.
I have serious issues with most ear buds actually staying in my ears. I could see someone thinking not having the cord catching on stuff hassle being worth the money. I doubt I’d ever go for wireless, though. The cord is more of a retention lanyard for me than a hassle.
AirPods have been great for me.
At work, I can wheel around at my desk or walk around without having to take them out. If someone pops by to chat, I can just pull one out to automatically pause what I’m listening to. I can skip tracks or pause in the middle of working without switching to the app that is controlling the audio. Compared to being tethered to my computer with my previous earphones, it’s been a huge improvement.
At home, I love them for working out. I use a rowing machine, which isn’t conducive to having corded headphones like you might be able to get away with on a treadmill or stationary bike. I used to crank up my laptop volume and watch shows, but now I can listen with AirPods and not disturb anyone. If I need to pause the video I’m watching, I can take out one earphone and not have to try to reach the laptop mid-workout.
Worth every penny for me for these two situations.
I love my AirPods an inordinate amount. I was a skeptic, only ordering them out of curiosity as I have a couple pairs of high-end in-ear monitors that sound fantastic. I never use them now, the convenience of the AirPods is so great.
As far as the sound quality goes, I considered them adequate up until I started using these inexpensive little foam donuts that help with the seal. They genuinely sound good now, even to this recovering audiophile.
Best part is that I’ve bought into the whole system, so when I’m out and about, especially when exercising, I don’t take my phone. I paired my AirPods with my watch and it’s about the lightest, least fussy deal that I can imagine short of some sort of cybernetic implants.
I’ve got these which are a $40 pair made by Encafire. Besides the sound range not being the best (no bass) they are clear as a bell, loud enough, well built, and super easy to connect/use.
They go back and forth to the gym with me to use on the elliptical. The only other problem is they tend to fall out on me if I move my jaw around, yawn, or bend over to tie my shoes.
Wireless? Yup. Something tiny & unconnected like air pods? Never!
If you’re only going to use them inside then maybe but I’ve heard too many horror stories of them being lost for good by someone on a bike or hiking on a trail. Good luck fining where it landed & is now resting under a leaf.
I switched to bluetooth earbuds* (not airpods) specifically for the gym and for that purpose they’re really great. I finally feel free to have full range of movement without getting dumbbells snagged in a headphone cord 
I tried airpods and just hate the way they look and feel. I don’t know if I happen to have genetically tiny ears but they just would not stay in. I got a set of Jabras instead (and a separate set of memory foam tips) and they fit great, feel good and do a reasonable job of eliminating some extraneous gym noise.
The Find My Phone app (or logging into your iCloud web page) can locate lost AirPods, so you’re not completely shit out of luck.
The iFixIt tear down notes that the batteries are not replaceable and only last about two years.
Mine have got to be at least two years old now and still hold plenty of charge.
I’m right smack in the center of the target market for most Apple products, but AirPods are not one of them due to what I want and need in earphones.
I need isolation. I use my earphones partially as ear protection. My daily bike/walking commute goes right by high traffic areas and along train tracks where sound levels peak at high-80s to low-90 db range. Riding the train here can also be really noisy. At home, I can listen to podcasts at conversational levels while doing the dishes. In contrast, I have to crank the bluetooth speaker in the kitchen to marginally uncomfortable levels to make dialog understandable while the water is running, and that speaker is literally about 1–1.5 m away from me the whole time.
AirPods are not isolating. If you’re planning to listen in a noisy environment, they are not for you. I briefly considered the newer Beats ear buds because they do have much better isolation and have the same technology as AirPods, but the price tag is hefty: about US$250.
The isolation alone keeps me from getting the AirPods. I’m also iffy on the fit. Standard iPhone earbuds don’t fit my ears very well, though I’ve heard AirPods fit better, even though they’re virtually identical in shape, just because they don’t have wires yanking on the stems.
Many people, techies especially, have said that the AirPods are very nice in actual use and the newest revision, which has always-on Siri, is even better than the first version. The sound quality is relatively good, and the fit is good for most people. (I know of one or two people who want to use them but whose ears they don’t fit … bummer. Apparently they’re in a minority though.) AirPods top-up charge in a relatively short time when you pop them in the case. You can listen with only one in at a time if you’re listening to dialog or mono audio.
Those who like them, really like them. Instant access to Siri turns it into a feature that’s useful rather than a novelty. I haven’t heard anyone say anything actually bad about AirPods. The gripes are things like up-front cost and either fitting or not fitting your ears. If you can afford them and they fit, you’ll probably like them.
The major benefits (if you’re using Apple products) are pairing speed and convenience, and much nicer feedback on information like battery status that you don’t get with standard bluetooth. The only real downsides I’ve heard is that the batteries will start to go bad somewhere between 2–4 years, depending on use — the batteries are not replaceable — and that they’re easy to lose if you’re not pretty careful about putting them back in their case or in a consistent location.
If you just want to see whether bluetooth headphones are nice to have or not, I suggest looking at The Wirecutter and try out one of their recommended cheap-ish ones. I bought the Aukey Latitude EP-B40 for my wife on their recommendation, and she really likes them. No buttonless Siri integration or lack of a connecting cord, but decent sound and battery life.
My current earphones are at the low end of the audiophile range and have a replaceable cable. I bought them for far less than MSRP, about US$160 2 years ago. I got completely fed up with having to throw away perfectly good drivers when cables went bad. I went through 3 sets of Etymotic HF3s in the course of about 5 years. The company replaced 2 of them under warranty (only costing me shipping+time) but I finally gave up on earphones with non-swappable cables as a bad investment.
My first foray into this style of earphones was the Shure SE210 (wired) which were probably stolen. (They disappeared one day when I was at work. I’m virtually certain I didn’t drop them or leave them anywhere, and I’d used them as usual to listen to podcasts on my way to work that morning.) The current equivalent to those, SE215, are now cheaper and come with a bluetooth cable. The cable on those is replaceable, too.